Shivers Down Your Spine
by Chocolate Boy
Summary: What do you get when you put two psychopathic witches together? A fun time. Kai/OC/Stefan
1. Juliette is the Sun

Shivers Down Your Spine

01

Juliette is the Sun

Kai entered the Burger King with some distaste in his mouth. For starters, he wasn't a fan of the crap mystery meat patties that BK churned out. Secondly, Wallah Wallah, Washington wasn't his favorite city (if you could even classify the podonk town as a city). It was working class, pitiful, and would never amount to the hobo chic that was its northern neighbor; Seattle.

He searched the desolate BK and found who he was searching for seated in a booth to the far back of the restaurant. Juliette Tempest. A girl with only days tip-toeing towards her 21st birthday.

"What light through yonder window breaks. It is the East, and Juliette is the sun." Kai slid into the booth across from the girl, awaiting some acknowledgement to, dare he say, a brilliant Shakespeare recitation. But Juliette kept her eyes glued to an iPhone that was covered by a bedazzled Hello Kitty case. If he hadn't been stalking this girl for the past week, he would've been sure that he had the wrong person. Tempest women were supposed to be beautiful and elegant, with charm matching the Geishas. Juliette was tacky. Dingy, seafoam green hair. A septum piercing. Eyeliner that looked like she had applied it on with a marker. The worst part was probably the countless earrings that adorned her ears. How many earrings from Claire's did one person need?

No. The worst part was her chipped nail that shined with the grease of the french fries she had cooked before she went on her work break.

"Not a fan of Shakespeare? Let me guess; your favorite art comes from an anime nerd on deviantart?"

"I love Shakespeare. Just not a fan of people quoting lines that they learned in a 9th grade English lesson."

"I was going to try to be quaint and tactful, but I'm just going to cut the bull-"

"You're Kai Parker. Gemini coven. Family murderer. Former magick consumer. Whopdee-friggin-doo."

He leaned back into his seat. Jaw dropped in amazement a bit. It wasn't that she knew all about him without so much as touching him. That was a trick that Tempests were known for. It was her knowledge of her own identity that had him speechless. "So you know you're a witch."

Again, her eyes were glued to the phone in her hand, finger tapping against it like she were trying to make some rhythm. "Of course, I know I'm a… God, damn it! Can you just give me one minute?"

Kai was overjoyed. The whole song and dance of teaching her to use her powers could be skipped. They could start his plan the moment they went to Mystic Falls. This was like Christmas morning. "So here's the deal, you're going to-"

"You have got to be kidding me!" She dropped her iPhone onto the table with a slam that startled Kai. It was broken. He was sure it was broken. Her outburst was loud enough that a manager poked his head out from the fry station, but Juliette was oblivious. "Do you know how many pipes I had to make that friggin' duck fly over and under?"

"No?"

"150. 150 pipes to beat my high score. Do you know what I was at? 148. Do you know whose fault that is?"

Kai couldn't hold in his laughter. She was upset over a phone game. "I'm going to assume that you're going to say its mine. Please say it was mine."

"You clearly don't know how much talent it takes." She sighed and pushed strands of hair out of her face. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Juliette. As you already know, you're a Tempest witch. I'm leader of the Gemini coven and I'm kindly requesting your talents to help me do the spell of the century."

"Yeah. But why are you requesting my talents? I have aunts and uncles from Rome to Rio that could help you better than I could."

Kai smiled at her insecurities. Was she so stupid as to not know that one lousy Tempest witch still had more talent in their thumb than someone from a watered down line? "I don't have the best reputation. I doubt your uncles or aunts would want to help me."

"So you think I would?"

He grabbed her wrist with one hand and used the other to trail his fingers down the needle tracks on her arm. "Choo choo," he whispered as his index made it's way down the length of her bronze arm. His eyes didn't leave hers. "I think I know the type of payment you'd be interested in, Juliette."

She pulled away from him and shrugged. "Sorry, Kai. I've been clean for 3 whole months. Those tracks are closed to incoming traffic."

Thinking on his feet, he tried an alternative route. "I could kill everyone you know and love dearly."

"I don't have friends or anyone who I love or know dearly."

"What about Mr. BK over there?" Kai nudged his head towards her manager who was mopping the floor. "Snap of my fingers and I could give him a heart attack."

She leaned forward with anticipation and licked the bottom of her lip. "Could you really do that for me? He does this weird snorting noise when he laughs and it's been killing me."

Was that a bluff? He wasn't sure. "Challenge accepted," he said and Mr. BK was screaming and clutching to his heart. Begging Juliette to call 9-1-1. Her gaze never waivered from Kai. She sat her hands onto his and mouthed the words 'Thank you.' She really didn't care if he died. Kai rolled his eyes and undid the spell. No point in killing the dude when it would just potentially make her happy.

Kai huffed and frowned. "I could drag you out of here against your will."

"You could but then you'd have to deal with an angry Tempest witch. Ain't nobody got time for that."

It was true. The stories told of Tempest witch's losing their cool made him a bit uncomfortable to even be working with one. "Fine. Name your price."

"Now we're talking. How big is the spell?"

"Mind-blowingly huge. We'll have to do it in 3 different stages. It'll take half a year."

"Is it for good or evil."

"Depends on your perspective," Kai smirked.

"Any blood have to be shed?"

"What's pleasure without a little pain?" He was on the verge of telling her all about what the spell would be and entail but she held her hand up and silenced him.

"I want love."

His face soured. "What?"

"Not with you. But with someone. I want you to find me someone who will love me and treat me well. Someone who I can start a family with."

He laughed. "You Tempest witches are more insane than what the books even describe. You're basically asking me to find you a soulmate. Like what am I supposed to do? Make you an OkCupid profile? Junkie girl seeking man who wants to start a family isn't going to attract a lot of hits."

"Those are my conditions, Kai. You take them or you leave them."

What choice did he have? If he wanted the spell done, it was imperative that he had a Tempest witch with them. Their arsenal was just too unique and conducive to find anywhere else. Even Bonnie wouldn't be able to help with such a spell, though she'd never agree to anyway.

"It's a deal."


	2. Open It

02

Open It

A dollop of ice cream drooled down the side of a metal spoon. It was covered in an assortment of sprinkles that were streaking their colors into the milky gunk. It looked sickly. Kai shoved the entire scoop into his mouth. Like… the ENTIRE scoop. Juliette's lip curled in disgust. Her expectations of Kai were sinking by the second. Hell, even her expectations of the city were going down the drain.

Mystic Falls, Virginia. She was expecting Southern rednecks. Iced-tea sipping grandmas on porches. Big church hats. Instead she received the set to a wacky-suburban-college-adventure flick. If she wanted to hang out with a bunch of preppy white kids pretending to be hipsters, she could've driven herself to Seattle. No one even had that special Southern t'wang to their words that sounded like moonshine and hay. What the fuck, Mystic Falls? Get your shit together.

Juliette watched Kai finish what was left of his sundae. "We're not going to find my soul mate in this city."

"Of course we will," Kai said, smile bright and reassuring. He leaned back and placed a hand on his stomach. "This place, even this very Grill, is full of potential mates. Maybe not soul mates… but you gotta take the car for a drive before we buy it." He clicked his tongue against his teeth and wiggled his eyebrows at his innuendo.

A french fry flew from her plate and hit him in the forehead. He winced as if it were a bee sting. Damn, there were times she just loved being a witch.

Juliette took a peak around at some of the 20-somethings that were around her. They all looked… pathetically average. Boring. They would turn 30. Work in some office making thousands less than what they hoped and wished for. They'd sit in cubicles dreaming that their life could be like Jim and Pam's. Juliette had bigger plans. Wind whipping through her hair. Dancing with her loved one under a lamp post down in the French Riviera as live street performers caused a beautiful ruckus. Her life was going to look like a fucking Lana Del Rey video. Kai was the most interesting person in Mystic Grill, and even he was predictable.

She pulled her sunglasses from the top of her head and over her eyes. Maybe things would be cooler if she viewed it in a different tint.

Nah. They still sucked.

"Only try-hards wear glasses indoors," Kai said. He licked the remains of ice cream from the spoon and then tossed it into the bowl.

"Did you drag me all the way to the other side of the US to insult me in a vain attempt to hide your absolute jealousy that you would look bad in sunglasses?"

"I like insulting you. It makes me feel better about myself." Kai smirked and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's talk business." He dug into his coat and pulled out a small vial. It wasn't transparent like the ones you typically see blood or some other liquid in. It was a hard and dark bronze. No longer than the length of Kai's pinky. Celtic knots were embossed all over it. That meant Druids had crafted it long ago. Many witch lines, including the Tempest line, had a bit of Druid in it. However, Druid magick, real Druid magick like what Kai was holding, shouldn't be tampered with. In fact, seeing the vial almost made her body cringe. What historic basement had he dug that up from?

"This, Juliette, is a-"

"A druid's curse vial," Juliette said.

Kai's eyebrow perked. "How'd you know that?"

He sounded genuinely curious which caused her stomach to burn. "I fucking read books, Kai. How does anyone know anything?"

"I'm sorry. I just didn't think you'd be… well… intelligent enough to actually read." He passed the vial across the table. She flinched as if it were a giant spider. Her eyes were filled with wonder. "Open it," he urged.

The impossible happened.

Her eyes grew wider.

"You want me to open it?" she shrieked. "Why would I do that?! Nothing good could come of it."

He had to shush her. "I already opened it, you spaz."

That was true. She was over-reacting. If Kai had already opened it and survived, the worst had already come.

Never a coward, she reached forward for the vial and twisted it at both ends. Nothing. She tapped it against the table. Again nothing. "Open sesame," she whispered against it… Still nothing.

With a sigh, Kai snatched the vial from her hands twisted it's top off with ease. He handed the vial back. She turned it upside down and pulled a piece of gold-wax parchment from it. It was ominous. Almost glowing. The magick embedded in it was strong enough to send chills down her spine. This curse was a heavy one. Someone with a temper created it for someone they loathed. It was kinda cool. It was like holding a page of the original constitution. Except, you know, if the constitution could hex people.

[4/7/15 10:58:29 PM] xy: "Will you stop staring at it and just read it?"

"I'm enjoying the experience!"

"It's a curse, not a back massage."

She exhaled and uncurled the parchment. The words of the curse were written in what she hoped wasn't blood.

The fact that the curse was written in English was startling. However, more shocking was the curse itself. It was damning. A fate no one should have to bear. She felt terrible for Kai. Even he didn't deserve this.

"What does it say?" Kai asked, words wavering. "Does it still mention me?"

"Of course it mentions you. Who else would it mention?"

Kai slammed his fist onto the table and then held his head in his hands. "I thought that would work for sure."

His words made all the dots connect for Juliette. "Did you… did you make me touch this parchment hoping that the curse would switch from you to me?" She waved the curse like a flag and then threw it at him. "Do you know I would've killed you if I had gotten that curse?"

"Even if you were strong enough to actually kill me, I would've preferred that." He wiped his hands down his face.

"You can't just transfer a curse with a touch, you imbecile."

Kai, disgruntled, snatched the paper and rolled it back into the tube. "Fine. We have to take the harder route. You're going to help me reverse it."

"Like hell I am." Juliette lifted her sunglasses. "That's a Druid curse."

"And you're a Tempest."

"You're a fool," she huffed. "How did you even get that curse? Someone made that centuries ago."

"That's what I thought, too. I was searching through some of the family gems. Curiousity got the best of me and I opened it to see what it said. Like maybe it was the cause of the bubonic plague or something. The paper was blank when I touched it. No curse. Then it just appeared."

"It's impossible to lift. You're doomed. Doomed. Doomed. Doomed." Juliette stood up and began gathering her belongings.

Kai grabbed her wrist. "You're going to help me whether you want to or not. It's not a question. We made a deal."

She snatched herself away. "I don't care about any deal and I damn sure don't care about what happens to the likes of someone who would murder their family in cold blood. I'm washing my hands of you."

Juliette spun on her heals, green hair snapping as she faced away from Kai. But as she was about to take a step forward, she almost face planted into the chest of someone. Well, less a someone and more a vampire.

She looked up at him and instantly knew his basics. The Tempest gift. His name was Stefan Salvatore. He had a brother.

And that was all. That was all she got from him. He was too guarded for his energy to reveal more about himself.

"You okay?" he asked, looking down at her with a smile. She was drawn to that smile. It was something a girl could get lost in.

"I'm fine."

"You're smart for realizing that you should run from this one." Stefan nudged his head in Kai's direction.

Juliette suppressed her smirk.

"This was an A and B conversation so you can C yourself out, Stefan." Kai said. No one looked amused. "It's a play on the word SEE and the letter C. See yourself out? No? Not surprising that two witless people don't get my humor."

"Riight," Stefan said with a nod. "We're the ones with the problem."

"When did you get here anyway? Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Stefan's jaw tensed. "Should I have been." He turned to Juliette. "Did he threaten you or anything?"

Kai frowned. "Calm down, white knight. You can go find Elena or Caroline to play hero with. Me and Juliette, are fine. We're just talking, eating, chitting and chatting."

"Let's just make sure it doesn't turn into something that only Kai would do."

This time she couldn't hold it in. She laughed. Truly. And it felt really good to laugh. Her life was usually filled with the same tones of grey as the Washington sky. He was so cute, even the tight jawed expression he was making.

Holy shit.

Was she, Juliette Tempest, fawning? Was this fawning?

Stefan looked at her with an amusement and her laughter ceased. So did her breathing. And she would swear her heart was as still as his.

"My name's Stefan. Let me know if this guy gives you any trouble, okay."

She nodded and watched as he walked away. White t-shirt and jeans. How did he make that look cool?

"Bye, Stefan! Thanks for stopping by!" Kai yelled as the vampire exited Mystic Grill.

"That guy's such a Debbie do-gooder sometimes. I wanna just…" Kai lifted his hands and made a strangulation gesture. "Y'aknow? I mean that doesn't kill a vampire but it would just feel so…. Amazing to choke him to death."

"I want him."

"What?"

"He's my soulmate."

Juliette leaned down towards Kai, pressing both hands against the table so that she could make direct eye contact with him. "Make him my soulmate. Introduce me to him. Set me up with him. Do whatever it takes to help him fall in love with me and I'll help you lift this curse."

"I thought you said it was impossible."

"Not impossible," Juliette said in a whisper. "Just not easy."

Kai leaned forward. His face was close enough where she thought their noses might bump if she accidentally moved a centimeter. "Nothing worth having ever is."


End file.
